Contextual Information Background: Nikita Khrushchev led the Soviet Union as Premier from 1955 through to 1964, succeeding Stalin after his death in 1953. He was the leader of the Communist Party during the culmination of the Cold War. Rapidly rising up the ranks in the Communist Party, Khrushchev was elected as the “first secretary of the Moscow City Party Committee in 1938” and became a member of the Politburo in 1939. He worked as a political commissar during World War II, his job being to ensure the government had political control over civilians. He also “mobilized troops to fight Nazi Germany in the Ukraine and at Stalingrad.” Khrushchev eventually became close with Stalin and developed a good relationship, likely due to his deep involvement in Stalin’s purges and his admiration for Stalin in tandem with his political success. Khrushchev spent many years in Ukraine rebuilding the agriculture and economy as the party leader, resigning his premiership in 1947 and returning to Moscow in 1949. After Stalin’s death on March 5th 1953, a power struggle took place for over a year between Khrushchev, Lavrenty Beria and Georgy Malenkov among other candidates. Eventually Khrushchev assumed leadership of the Soviet Union in March 1958. Khrushchev’s proven ability to lead made him a likely candidate to succeed Stalin. Khrushchev climbed his way up the political hierarchy, beginning as a metalworker from a peasant village near the border between Russia and Ukraine at a young age and eventually becoming the successor of Joseph Stalin. Summary: Nikita Khrushchev is recognised in particular for inaugurating the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, perhaps the most significant event/period of the Cold War. The Cold War reached a boiling point after the United States discovered nuclear missiles in Cuba via. an American U2 spy plane. The Berlin Wall and the U2 Crisis were child’s play in comparison to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Khrushchev had approved the installation of such weaponry just “90 miles from (140km) from the U.S. coast.” Khrushchev claimed that the missiles were “solely to defend Cuba against the attack of an aggressor”, while realistically they were there to upgrade the Soviets’ “nuclear strike capability.” A 13 day stand-off ensued. President John F. Kennedy was relatively transparent in his plans to manage the crisis and prevent mutually assured destruction, informing U.S. citizens of the presence of the missiles and his plan to create a naval blockade around Cuba to prevent arrival of additional nuclear weaponry. While extreme tension was further developing, Khrushchev and Kennedy began to negotiate the terms of the Crisis. Kennedy and Khrushchev eventually came to an agreement: Khrushchev would have the missiles removed from Cuba if Kennedy would promise not to invade Cuba. Kennedy (unbeknownst to Khrushchev) also had U.S. missiles in Turkey removed in secret. Perspectives: The Soviets wanted to increase their capacity for nuclear warfare and deter the United States from attacking their new allies in Cuba (and themselves) again. Khrushchev took a leap of faith in having the nuclear missiles sent to Cuba in secret; Castro “warned Khrushchev against transporting the missiles” undisclosed. The U.S.A’s response to the discovery of the missiles in Cuba was produced with great urgency – although deliberations “stretched on for nearly a week.” The Executive Committee (EXCOMM) and President Kennedy agreed in declaring that the existence of the missiles in Cuba was inadmissible, but dismissed potentially launching a bombing attack and/or a thorough invasion of Cuba. Kennedy pronounced a U.S. navy blockade around Cuba that would put a stop to further provisions of missiles and other weapons/equipment that was announced on October 22, 1962 during a television broadcast. Anxiety and tension arose on a global scale, for if war between the United States and the Soviet Union had broken out, mutually assured destruction would have likely ensued. Implications: Khrushchev’s reputation and status diminished significantly after the resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and contributed majorly to his complete fall from power in the Soviet Union. He was “forced to resign and as both premier and head of the Communist Party” in October 1964. The majority of the Soviet Union felt that Khrushchev had ‘blinked’ first in the eye-to-eye standoff when he agreed to remove the missiles in Cuba for very little (if any) gain. Ultimately, the Soviet Union also failed to reach parity with the nuclear capacity of the United States after a Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (in 1963) was agreed to prior Khrushchev’s forced resignation 1964. The end of Khrushchev’s reign in addition to the end of the Missile Crisis was the beginning of the end of the Cold War. Annotated Sources Source 1: Khrushchev’s Letter to President Kennedy 23/10/1962 Page 1Page 2 Origin: This source was a letter written by Khrushchev himself to President John Kennedy on October 23, 1962 that was translated into English. Value: This letter from Khrushchev is a valuable source as it is his response to President Kennedy’s first letter to Khrushchev (during the Cuban Missile Crisis) and speech. The letter reveals his alleged belief that the missiles established in Cuba were merely to “strengthen [Cuba’s] defense capability” and “are intended solely for defensive purposes”. Source 2: ‘This hurts me more than it hurts you!’ Cartoon by Edmund Valtman Origin: This source was a cartoon produced by Estonian/American cartoonist Edmund Valtman. It was published in 1962 in The Hartman Times newspaper. Value: This cartoon by Valtman reflects an American perspective of the Cuban Missile Crisis. In the cartoon Khrushchev is removing the missiles from Cuba (Fidel Castro’s mouth) after blinking against President Kennedy. The title ‘This hurts me more than it hurts you’ suggests that Khrushchev’s removal of the missiles from Cuba ultimately led to his own fall from power and a damaged reputation. Source 3: Excerpt from ‘The Secret Speech’ – On the Cult of Personality “Stalin, on the other hand, used extreme methods and mass repressions at a time when the revolution was already victorious, when the Soviet state was strengthened, when the exploiting classes were already liquidated, and Socialist relations were rooted solidly in all phases of national economy, when our party was politically consolidated and had strengthened itself both numerically and ideologically. It is clear that here Stalin showed in a whole series of cases his intolerance, his brutality, and his abuse of power. Instead of proving his political correctness and mobilizing the masses, he often chose the path of repression and physical annihilation, not only against actual enemies, but also against individuals who had not committed any crimes against the party and the Soviet Government. Here we see no wisdom but only a demonstration of the brutal force which had once so alarmed V.I Lenin. . . . Considering the question of the cult of an individual we must first of all show everyone what harm this caused to the interests of our party. . . . In practice Stalin ignored the norms of party life and trampled on the Leninist principle of collective party leadership. Stalin's willfulness vis-a-vis the party and its central committee became fully evident after the 17th party congress, which took place in 1934. . . . It was determined that of the 139 members and candidates of the party's Central Committee who were elected at the 17th congress, 98 persons, that is, 70 percent, were arrested and shot (mostly in 1937-38). [Indignation in the hall.] . . .” Origin: This source is an excerpt from Nikita Khrushchev’s ‘The Secret Speech’ – On the Cult of Personality on February 25, 1956. Value: This excerpt source is significant as Khrushchev boldly denounces his predecessor Joseph Stalin. Stalin was a national hero in the eyes of the Soviets and protests broke out following his death. This source is merely an excerpt; Khrushchev condemned Stalin’s actions and beliefs for approximately 4 hours – much to the astonishment and shock of the audience. Khrushchev utilises Stalin as a scapegoat for the issues of Communism and the Soviet party in order to deflect from their own mistakes. Bibliography NB Sample annotated bibliographic details for textbook:
Biblio details:
Walsh, B. GCSE Modern World History 2nd ed Hodder Education, London, 2001
Notes:
A useful text for Year 11 History which utilises source material in a good learning way. While it has a strong British orientation it does look at the Cold war from two perspectives.
The PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) is a reliable source as it’s a private, not-for-profit corporation that holds educational licenses and has been rated as the most trustworthy American institution among other organisations for 13 straight years. The source itself is consistent with other sources.
The BBC was founded 94 years ago – making it the oldest national broadcasting organisation in the world. If there were significant issues with the organisation’s reliability and historical accuracy, it’s likely the BBC would no longer exist. The source used shows no notable bias and is consistent with historical information from other sources.
John D Clare is the “author of some 100 history textbooks, learning packs and children’s history books”. He graduated from Oxford in 1974, studying Modern History.
While using Wikipedia one must be careful to not take everything as fact and/or face value, as anyone on the internet can contribute to the site and edit content. In saying that, there was plenty of information that seemed consistent with other sources.
Nikita Khrushchev
Contextual Information
Background: Nikita Khrushchev led the Soviet Union as Premier from 1955 through to 1964, succeeding Stalin after his death in 1953. He was the leader of the Communist Party during the culmination of the Cold War. Rapidly rising up the ranks in the Communist Party, Khrushchev was elected as the “first secretary of the Moscow City Party Committee in 1938” and became a member of the Politburo in 1939. He worked as a political commissar during World War II, his job being to ensure the government had political control over civilians. He also “mobilized troops to fight Nazi Germany in the Ukraine and at Stalingrad.” Khrushchev eventually became close with Stalin and developed a good relationship, likely due to his deep involvement in Stalin’s purges and his admiration for Stalin in tandem with his political success. Khrushchev spent many years in Ukraine rebuilding the agriculture and economy as the party leader, resigning his premiership in 1947 and returning to Moscow in 1949.
After Stalin’s death on March 5th 1953, a power struggle took place for over a year between Khrushchev, Lavrenty Beria and Georgy Malenkov among other candidates. Eventually Khrushchev assumed leadership of the Soviet Union in March 1958. Khrushchev’s proven ability to lead made him a likely candidate to succeed Stalin. Khrushchev climbed his way up the political hierarchy, beginning as a metalworker from a peasant village near the border between Russia and Ukraine at a young age and eventually becoming the successor of Joseph Stalin.
Summary: Nikita Khrushchev is recognised in particular for inaugurating the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, perhaps the most significant event/period of the Cold War. The Cold War reached a boiling point after the United States discovered nuclear missiles in Cuba via. an American U2 spy plane. The Berlin Wall and the U2 Crisis were child’s play in comparison to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Khrushchev had approved the installation of such weaponry just “90 miles from (140km) from the U.S. coast.” Khrushchev claimed that the missiles were “solely to defend Cuba against the attack of an aggressor”, while realistically they were there to upgrade the Soviets’ “nuclear strike capability.” A 13 day stand-off ensued. President John F. Kennedy was relatively transparent in his plans to manage the crisis and prevent mutually assured destruction, informing U.S. citizens of the presence of the missiles and his plan to create a naval blockade around Cuba to prevent arrival of additional nuclear weaponry. While extreme tension was further developing, Khrushchev and Kennedy began to negotiate the terms of the Crisis. Kennedy and Khrushchev eventually came to an agreement: Khrushchev would have the missiles removed from Cuba if Kennedy would promise not to invade Cuba. Kennedy (unbeknownst to Khrushchev) also had U.S. missiles in Turkey removed in secret.
Perspectives: The Soviets wanted to increase their capacity for nuclear warfare and deter the United States from attacking their new allies in Cuba (and themselves) again. Khrushchev took a leap of faith in having the nuclear missiles sent to Cuba in secret; Castro “warned Khrushchev against transporting the missiles” undisclosed. The U.S.A’s response to the discovery of the missiles in Cuba was produced with great urgency – although deliberations “stretched on for nearly a week.” The Executive Committee (EXCOMM) and President Kennedy agreed in declaring that the existence of the missiles in Cuba was inadmissible, but dismissed potentially launching a bombing attack and/or a thorough invasion of Cuba. Kennedy pronounced a U.S. navy blockade around Cuba that would put a stop to further provisions of missiles and other weapons/equipment that was announced on October 22, 1962 during a television broadcast. Anxiety and tension arose on a global scale, for if war between the United States and the Soviet Union had broken out, mutually assured destruction would have likely ensued.
Implications: Khrushchev’s reputation and status diminished significantly after the resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and contributed majorly to his complete fall from power in the Soviet Union. He was “forced to resign and as both premier and head of the Communist Party” in October 1964. The majority of the Soviet Union felt that Khrushchev had ‘blinked’ first in the eye-to-eye standoff when he agreed to remove the missiles in Cuba for very little (if any) gain. Ultimately, the Soviet Union also failed to reach parity with the nuclear capacity of the United States after a Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (in 1963) was agreed to prior Khrushchev’s forced resignation 1964. The end of Khrushchev’s reign in addition to the end of the Missile Crisis was the beginning of the end of the Cold War.
Annotated Sources
Source 1: Khrushchev’s Letter to President Kennedy 23/10/1962
Page 1 Page 2
Origin: This source was a letter written by Khrushchev himself to President John Kennedy on October 23, 1962 that was translated into English.
Value: This letter from Khrushchev is a valuable source as it is his response to President Kennedy’s first letter to Khrushchev (during the Cuban Missile Crisis) and speech. The letter reveals his alleged belief that the missiles established in Cuba were merely to “strengthen [Cuba’s] defense capability” and “are intended solely for defensive purposes”.
Source 2: ‘This hurts me more than it hurts you!’
Cartoon by Edmund Valtman
Origin: This source was a cartoon produced by Estonian/American cartoonist Edmund Valtman. It was published in 1962 in The Hartman Times newspaper.
Value: This cartoon by Valtman reflects an American perspective of the Cuban Missile Crisis. In the cartoon Khrushchev is removing the missiles from Cuba (Fidel Castro’s mouth) after blinking against President Kennedy. The title ‘This hurts me more than it hurts you’ suggests that Khrushchev’s removal of the missiles from Cuba ultimately led to his own fall from power and a damaged reputation.
Source 3: Excerpt from ‘The Secret Speech’ – On the Cult of Personality
“Stalin, on the other hand, used extreme methods and mass repressions at a time when the revolution was already victorious, when the Soviet state was strengthened, when the exploiting classes were already liquidated, and Socialist relations were rooted solidly in all phases of national economy, when our party was politically consolidated and had strengthened itself both numerically and ideologically. It is clear that here Stalin showed in a whole series of cases his intolerance, his brutality, and his abuse of power. Instead of proving his political correctness and mobilizing the masses, he often chose the path of repression and physical annihilation, not only against actual enemies, but also against individuals who had not committed any crimes against the party and the Soviet Government. Here we see no wisdom but only a demonstration of the brutal force which had once so alarmed V.I Lenin. . . .
Considering the question of the cult of an individual we must first of all show everyone what harm this caused to the interests of our party. . . .
In practice Stalin ignored the norms of party life and trampled on the Leninist principle of collective party leadership.
Stalin's willfulness vis-a-vis the party and its central committee became fully evident after the 17th party congress, which took place in 1934. . . .
It was determined that of the 139 members and candidates of the party's Central Committee who were elected at the 17th congress, 98 persons, that is, 70 percent, were arrested and shot (mostly in 1937-38). [Indignation in the hall.] . . .”
Origin: This source is an excerpt from Nikita Khrushchev’s ‘The Secret Speech’ – On the Cult of Personality on February 25, 1956.
Value: This excerpt source is significant as Khrushchev boldly denounces his predecessor Joseph Stalin. Stalin was a national hero in the eyes of the Soviets and protests broke out following his death. This source is merely an excerpt; Khrushchev condemned Stalin’s actions and beliefs for approximately 4 hours – much to the astonishment and shock of the audience. Khrushchev utilises Stalin as a scapegoat for the issues of Communism and the Soviet party in order to deflect from their own mistakes.
Bibliography
NB Sample annotated bibliographic details for textbook:
Hodder Education, London, 2001